Imperfect Heist
by StaindRedGlass
Summary: STORY 11: When a bank robbery turns into a hostage situation, it leaves Jamie and Chioke trapped inside. With hostage negotiations making no progress, the only way for the situation to be defused is from the inside, or by force.
1. Chapter 1

Here's the 11th story in my series. If you haven't read the other stories, then I advise you to not proceed until you do. This is a series. It runs in sequence. To understand certain things (especially where Jamie came from), it's best to just start at the beginning. This series is kind of like my very own NCIS season 4. As of this point, the series consists of: story 1 A Link to the Past (comes in 3 parts)… story 2 Wrong Place, Wrong Time… story 3 Second Job… story 4 Daughters… story 5 A Personal Vendetta… story 6 Bless the Children… story 7 Eyes of the Condemned… story 8 Disturbing Affection… story 9 No Man Left Behind (story that introduces Chioke; aka Kid)… story 10 Finger Swap… story 11 Imperfect Heist (current story). Hope you enjoy it.

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**Author's note: **My surgery was cancelled because the anesthesiologist wanted medical clearance from my doctor, but my doctor didn't give it to him. I have a medical problem that my doctor is trying to keep under control, so I'm taking a medication that drastically lowers my white blood cell count. So, I can't get the surgery done until I get off that med because an infection would send me to the hospital. Figures! This sucks! Oh well! Let's start the next story.

Before I begin, the symbol " is used to help represent what a person/character says. Since Chioke doesn't speak, because he has no voice, I'll be using the symbol ' to help represent what he signs in sign language. In the first 2 or 3 chapters, after whatever Chioke signs, I'll write; Chioke signed. But eventually, I won't always write that, so hopefully you'll get used to the single symbol ' as being whatever Chioke signs.

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**Wednesday**

**Chapter 1**

With running a little late, Tony and Chioke step off the elevator. Chioke is holding Tony's hand as they walk. As for Tony, is other hand is holding a bag with breakfast for him and Chioke because he woke up late and didn't have the time to feed him. In Chioke's free hand, he's holding a Curious George stuffed animal. They walk into the work area where Ziva and McGee are at her desk working on a computer problem. As the two of them look up, Chioke waves to them.

"Hey Chioke." Both Ziva and McGee greet him.

Chioke lets go of Tony's hand and walks over to Ziva and McGee. He holds up his Curious George stuffed animal in order to show them. McGee begins looking at the stuffed animal after Chioke handed it to him. Tony finally sits at his desk.

"Nice monkey, Kid." Ziva said. "Does the monkey have a name?"

"That's Curious George." Tony stated. "Curious George is his second favorite movie."

"How can you not know Curious George?" McGee asked.

"Everybody in America…" Tony begins to say.

"Last time I checked, I'm from Israel. Not America."

"Well… Maybe you should be deported." Tony grins.

"Deport me for not knowing Curious George… Yeah, good luck at trying to make that happen."

"Chioke…" Tony tries to get his attention.

Chioke looks over toward Tony.

"Breakfast." Tony holds the bag up for him to see.

McGee hands the stuffed animal back and Chioke runs over to Tony. Tony stands up and Chioke sits down in his chair and puts the Curious George stuffed animal on the desk. From the bag, Tony takes out an egg and sausage bagel and a carton of chocolate milk for Chioke. As for himself, he takes out a burrito and a can of soda.

"I'll be right back." Tony said.

Tony walks away in order to go to the bathroom. After Tony leaves the area, Chioke looks at the shiny can of soda. He's unsure as to what it is, so he grabs the soda-can. He remembers seeing Tony drinking from a can the other day. Chioke imitates what he saw Tony do. He examines the top of the soda-can and sees where the soda comes out from. Then he puts his lips to the soda-can and tilts his head and the can upward, in order to start drinking. Nothing comes out of the can.

Chioke is confused as to why the soda won't come out, especially since he's doing the same exact thing Tony did the other day in order to drink what's inside. He pokes the top of the soda-can. Then he tilts the soda-can upside-down. With thinking the soda is stuck, Chioke begins shaking the soda-can.

After shaking the soda-can for a couple seconds, Chioke becomes frustrated because he wants to try soda, since he's never had it before. He pounds the top of the soda-can on the desk. He then holds the soda-can up so he can see if anything is coming out yet. In confusion, he scratches his head. He pounds the top of the soda-can on the desk. Chioke finally begins shaking the soda-can again. After a minute of shaking the can, he places it on the desk and tries poking the top again.

With seeing Chioke is having difficulty opening the soda-can, McGee walks over in order to offer his help.

"Do you want me to open that for you?" McGee asked.

'Need no help. I can do it.' Chioke signed.

"I'm sorry, I don't know sign language."

Chioke then shakes his head to let McGee know he doesn't need or want help. McGee walks away. Still being confused as to why he can't get the soda out, he takes a deep breath because he wants to be able to do it by himself, or at least have Tony do it for him since Tony is who he depends on. Chioke begins shaking the soda-can again.

When Chioke sees Tony coming back, he stops shaking the soda-can. As Tony approaches the desk, Chioke puts the can of soda on the desk. Tony pulls a chair over and sets it at the edge of the desk. He then sits down.

'I want try.' Chioke signed. He then points to the soda-can.

"That's right… You've never had soda before." Tony stated. "If you have my soda, then what will I drink?"

Chioke looks to the desk and grabs the carton of chocolate milk. He holds it up to offer it to Tony in exchange for the soda.

"Deal." Tony said with a smile.

Chioke puts the carton of chocolate milk down at the edge of the desk, near Tony. Tony grabs the can of soda in order to open it.

"Tony, wait, I wouldn't…" McGee tries to warn him.

Tony flicks the top open and the soda explodes out at him. The soda explodes into Tony's face and onto his shirt. Tony is now slightly soaked with soda. Chioke is startled as he doesn't know what happened, while Ziva and McGee bust out laughing.

'Why it attack you?' Chioke signed.

"I… I'm unsure as to what you just signed." Tony said.

Gibbs walks by, along-side the windows.

"He asked why the soda attacked you." Gibbs stated as he breezes by in order to go up to MTAC. Chioke nods his head as Gibbs is correct.

"The soda didn't attack me." Tony said as he grabs some paper-towels and begins wiping himself. "It's just… When you shake a soda-can, it…" He stops as he tries thinking of a simple way to explain it in terms that Chioke can understand. "I don't know why. It just happens when anybody shakes it. Just don't shake the soda-can next time."

'I sorry.' Chioke signed as he has a sad facial expression because he thinks he did something wrong.

"Look at me." Tony said as he gently places his hand on Chioke's chin in order to gently push his head upward a little bit so he can look in his eyes. "Don't worry about it. You did nothing wrong." He paused for a couple seconds. "There's still some soda in here, you want it?"

'Yes.' Chioke signed.

Tony hands Chioke the soda-can. Chioke begins drinking as Tony continues cleaning himself. Tony gets up and goes to the file cabinet in order to get a new shirt. After drinking the soda, Chioke then grabs his breakfast. He un-wraps it and takes a bite. Chioke then leans over the desk and begins spitting it out. He holds the food up to his nose in order to sniff it. Tony turns his head and sees the chewed-up food on his desk.

Chioke puts the food down and takes the top bagel piece off. He takes the sausage off and places it to the side. Tony begins cleaning up the mess as Chioke puts the bagel piece back on top and begins eating the food, without the sausage.

"At least I now know you don't like sausage." Tony said.

Suddenly, Jamie steps off the elevator. She walks to the work area and immediately over to Tony's desk.

"Good morning!" Jamie stated in a cheerful tone.

"Hey Jamie." Ziva and McGee greet her.

"Is he ready to go?" Jamie asked.

"He's almost done." Tony said.

"I'm taking him to Gallaudet University today." Jamie notices Tony has a puzzled look on his face. "The university has the special school, Kendall Demonstration Elementary School. Remember? We had a discussion about it."

"Oh yeah, that's today. It slipped my mind."

"You're looking forward to going to school and learning more, right Chioke?" Jamie asked.

'Yes.' Chioke signed.

After finishing his breakfast, Chioke stands up and gets ready to leave.

"Soon, you'll know a lot more sign language then I do." Tony said.

"He already does." Jamie stated. "Abby and I have been teaching him down in the lab for the past couple of weeks."

"I can tell. I'm gonna need to learn more in order to keep up." Tony said.

'Tony a Probie.' Chioke signed.

"Yes he is." Jamie said and also signed.

"Wait… What did he call me? What did he just say?" Tony asked.

"Dad taught him how to sign the word, Probie." Jamie laughed.

Tony looks to Chioke.

"So I'm a sign language Probie?" Tony said.

'I not mean it.' Chioke signed. 'I love you.' He steps to Tony and hugs him.

"I love you too, Kid." Tony said as he hugs him back.

"We should get going." Jamie stated. "I need to go to the bank first."

Chioke grabs his Curious George stuffed animal and places his hand into Jamie's hand. Jamie leans forward and gives Tony a quick kiss.

"Love you." Jamie said.

"I love you too." Tony said.

Tony grabs the carton of chocolate milk from the desk. He hands it to Chioke.

"You can have this. I'll get you a full can of soda later."

Chioke hands his Curious George stuffed animal to Jamie so he has a free hand to hold the chocolate milk in order to drink it. Jamie and Chioke leave the area and walk to the elevator. From in front of the elevator, Chioke takes his hand out of Jamie's hand and waves to Tony.

After Jamie and Chioke step onto the elevator, Tony notices Ziva and McGee are just staring in his direction.

"Awww!" Both Ziva and McGee exclaimed.

"Both of you… Shut up."

"It's weird to see the warm, caring, sensitive, loving side of you, Tony." McGee said.

"Don't forget to mention, it's scary." Ziva added.

"True. It can be rather scary." McGee said. "It's good to see you've been learning sign language so you can communicate better with Chioke. How's he adjusting to life in America?" McGee asked.

"He's coming along, slowly." Tony stated. "He doesn't cling to me as much as he used to." He said in a slightly sad tone of voice.

"You miss it, don't you?" Ziva asked.

"Yes, in a way." Tony said. "But I'm glad he's becoming more used to life here."

"Besides a soda-can, does he have much trouble with anything else?" McGee asked.

"He loves his movies, The Lion King and Curious George, as I told you a couple weeks ago. He finally learned how to turn the TV on, to change the channels and work the volume level. But he hasn't quite figured out how to use the DVD player, yet."

"What did he do?" Ziva asked.

"He shoved the DVD into the VCR." Tony laughed. "Over the weekend, Jamie took him to the grocery store. It took them seven hours cuz Chioke looked at everything single thing. He especially loved the lobster tank and thought they were being sold as pets. Jamie bought one for a recipe she wanted to try, but… Well… Chioke wanted the lobster for a pet…"

"I can't believe you guys have a pet lobster." McGee said.

"Yeah, I know." Tony agreed. "My dad was over for dinner, so while we were explaining that a lobster isn't a pet… He was encouraging it by offering to buy a fish tank to put the lobster in. Chioke had the biggest smile on his face and we just couldn't say no. So my dad bought a 300 gallon fish tank, which costs a lot. Then he bought a whole bunch of accessories for the tank. I think he still feels guilty about not showing up to my wedding. But I've forgiven him."

"That was nice of him to pay for it all." Ziva said.

"How are things between you and your dad?" McGee asked.

"Things have definitely gotten better." Tony stated. "He loves Jamie. And Jamie loves his Civil War stories. So it's perfect."

"Does the lobster have name?" Ziva asked.

"Chioke named the lobster after a character from the movie, The Lion King. The lobster's name is, Simba."

As the conversation continues, Jamie and Chioke make their way to the bank.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

As Jamie and Chioke are making their way to the bank and the rest of the team is in the work area chatting, Gibbs is still up in MTAC working on something. He's communicating with a special team sent to Austria to capture a fugitive. The special team chased a man named, Amir, to an old house. They have the house surrounded.

"We have the house surrounded Agent Gibbs." The team leader stated. "He's trapped. There's no way out."

"He may be one man, but one of my rules is to never under-estimate the enemy. Amir is a very resourceful assassin." Agent Gibbs stated. "Approach him with extreme caution and never under-estimate him, even when in custody." He added. "We need Amir alive, but with how dangerous he is, use deadly force, only if necessary. But we do need him alive."

"Roger that." The team leader acknowledged. His team indicates they're all in position for the raid. "The outside area is completely secure… My team is in position. Do we have the go?"

"That's affirmative. You have the go."

With guns drawn, the team approaches the house in order to begin the raid. Gibbs watches the monitor as the team enters into the house. They secure the house room by room.

"He's not here." The team leader stated.

"Get out of the house! Now!" Gibbs exclaimed.

"Evac!" The team leader shouted to his team.

The team hurries to evacuate the house. Once outside of the house, the house explodes.

"Is everyone ok?" The team leader asked in concern for his team. After hearing a roll-call, he knows everyone is alive and a few have minor injuries. "I don't understand… We saw him go in, but there was no way to get out."

"I told you, he's very resourceful. That section of Austria has a lot of tunnels that were used during the war. The house must have had a connection to the under-ground tunnel system. He led you there, knowing he would escape." Gibbs stated.

"What now?"

"Keep the area secure until NCIS arrives. I'm sending a team now."

"Roger that."

The connection is terminated. Gibbs gives the order to have an NCIS team to investigate the remains of the house, in hopes of finding anything that will help them locate Amir and the assassin team.

Meanwhile, in the work area, the team is still deep in pointless chatter. Tony notices Gibbs just left MTAC. He then walks over to McGee's desk.

"Why do you think women want us to help them cook?" Tony asked.

"I'm just saying that this day in age, is a lot different then a couple decades ago." McGee said. "Women are valuable members of every workplace. It's not like they're useless."

"I know they are. And I know they're not useless… Well... Ziva doesn't count, cuz a woman with no boobs really isn't a true woman."

Ziva shakes her head at Tony's comment. With his finger, McGee gives Tony the indication that Gibbs has just entered into the work area.

"Anyway, Jamie…" Tony begins to say.

Gibbs smacks Tony on the back of the head.

"My daughter's place isn't the in the kitchen, DiNozzo."

"What I was gonna say is that when I try to help her cook, I get yelled at cuz I'm either in the way, or not doing it right."

"Is that the real reason it took you so long to find a girl to settle down with?" Ziva asked. "Cuz they yelled at you for not, doing it right." She grins.

"Funny." Tony said. He then looks to Gibbs. "You know Boss, it really rather hurts my feelings when you do that. It stopped hurting my head a few years ago, but… Well… It just makes me feel disrespected."

"Oh… I'm terribly sorry, Tony. I had no idea. I'll stop immediately."

Tony then looks to McGee and grins. McGee goes to take out his wallet. Suddenly, Gibbs smacks Tony on the back of the head.

"Pay the man, DiNozzo." Gibbs stated. "You lost the bet."

"How did you know?" Tony asked as he takes out his wallet. "You're not gonna tell, are you?"

"No."

Gibbs grabs Tony's wallet, takes out $50 and gives it to McGee. Gibbs then walks away. He smirks all the way to his desk. Tony looks at McGee.

"How did he know?" Tony asked.

"I have no idea. But you didn't get him to stop smacking you. So I win." McGee grins.

Tony finally walks to his desk. Gibbs' phone rings. He answers the phone.

"Is this Agent Gibbs?" The man asked immediately.

"This is." Gibbs said.

"I don't have much time. My name is Petty Officer Wade Benson. The Commerce Bank on the corner of North St. and 3rd St. is going to be robbed."

"How do you know this?"

"Cuz I'm a part of it." Petty Officer Wade Benson stated. "If I don't do this, they'll kill me."

"Wade, I need more Intel…"

"Shit… I gotta go, we're gonna leave now. I don't wanna be a part of this. Please help me."

Petty Officer Wade Benson hangs up the phone. Gibbs puts the phone down.

"Grab your gear!" Gibbs exclaimed.

"What do we have? Dead body?" Tony asked.

"The Commerce Bank on the corner of North St. and 3rd St. is going to be robbed."

"How come it's not on the news?" McGee asked.

"Cuz I said; is going to be robbed. The robbery hasn't happen yet."

"Wait…" Tony just realized something. "That's Jamie's bank! She said she needed to go to the bank before…" He paused. "Oh my God! Jamie's at the bank right now!"

"Call her cell! Tell her to get out of the bank!" Gibbs exclaimed.

As the team quickly grabs their gear, Tony tries to call Jamie's cell-phone. He only reaches her voice-mail. He tries again to only have the same thing happen.

"She's not answering." Tony stated. "I keep getting her voice-mail."

"Keep trying!" Gibbs exclaimed.

As the team runs to the elevator, Tony continues trying to call Jamie. Gibbs immediately calls Fornell because this bank robbery may be connected to the string of bank robberies that have been going on in the past couple of months.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

At the Commerce Bank, Jamie and Chioke are standing in a line, waiting for their turn. There's a small table in close to the center of the bank where they're standing. Chioke is playing with his Curious George stuffed animal as Jamie is just watching his youthful spirit with a smile on her face. She makes sure to keep an eye on him at all times as they wait there.

As they wait in line, three men wearing dark clothing and ski masks enter into the bank and walk up the stairs. Each of them is holding a bag. The medium-sized bag is full. The large bags are empty. All three men have guns that are visible, without counting concealed weapons; one has an Uzi, one has a shotgun and the other has a hand-gun, with a silencer attached.

The man with the medium-sized, full bag and the Uzi, Petty Officer Wade Benson, stays close to the front door area. The man with the hand-gun quickly knocks the security guard over the head with it. He then begins shooting the security cameras.

"Yo!" The man with a shotgun, codename Shotgun, exclaimed to get everybody's attention.

He pounds the shotgun into a person's face then quickly runs to the partition desk that separates the bank tellers and the customers. He jumps up onto it. He immediately points the shotgun at the bank teller. Jamie immediately grabs Chioke and holds onto him.

"If you touch that alarm… Then you'll be very acquainted with what your brain looks like." Shotgun stated.

The man with the hand-gun, codename Silencer, jumps to the other side of the partition to stop anybody else who may try to push an alarm. He immediately begins forcing the tellers to empty what money they have access to and to put it into his bag.

"All of you put your hands into the air, now!" Shotgun exclaimed. All the people throw their hands up. "If anybody moves, you will be hurt!"

A man turns and tries to run to the front door. Shotgun quickly pulls out a knife from his jacket and throws it at the man. The blade penetrates into the man's ass.

"Ow!" The man falls to the floor and holds his ass.

"Anybody else not wanna be able to sit for a couple weeks?!" Shotgun shouted. "Uzi, tie that mother-fucker up."

Petty Officer Wade Benson, codename Uzi during the heist, walks over to the man on the floor and pulls the knife out of the man's ass. He begins tying the man up.

"Does anybody else wanna be a dumb-shit with a knife in their ass?!" Shotgun yelled. "Oh come on people! I love it when my knife throwing skills are tested." In the corner of his eye, he notices a woman at a desk is slowly moving her hand downward in order to push a button for an alarm. He takes another knife from his jacket and throws it into the lady's arm.

"Ow!" The lady yelled as she falls to the floor holding her arm.

"I don't understand why you people always have to be so stupid. I love it!" Shotgun stated. He looks to Jamie. "You…" He tries to get her attention. She looks at him. "Tell that kid to take this bag and start collecting everybody's jewelry, wallets and cell-phones."

"Do what he says." Jamie said to Chioke.

Chioke, who is really scared, turns to face Jamie, wraps his arms around her waist and buries his face in her stomach area. He won't let go of her.

"Tell that fuckin kid to stop being such a baby and do as he's told!" Shotgun exclaimed.

"Sweetie, please… Go over there and do what he says." Jamie said. "It'll be ok."

Shotgun steps off from the partition desk and begins walking toward Jamie and Chioke. Once close enough, Shotgun grabs Chioke by the arm, violently. Chioke drops his Curious George stuffed animal. Chioke has a facial expression of pain and hurt upon his face. Jamie, without thinking, immediately smacks the man across the face. Shotgun punches Jamie in the face. She falls to the floor. Chioke tries to break free of Shotgun's hold, but he's too strong. Shotgun drags Chioke, by his arm, to the partition desk. Chioke is crying because the man is really hurting him. With Jamie lying on the floor, Shotgun shoves Chioke against the partition desk.

"He's just a child!" A man yelled.

"Shut the fuck up!" Shotgun exclaimed.

"Give me the bag. I'll collect what you want." The man stated. "I won't try anything funny."

"If you try anything funny, I'll put a knife in your back." Shotgun tosses the bag to the man. He then lets go of Chioke. The man with the bag starts going around in order to collect the items.

While crying, Chioke runs to Jamie. Jamie embraces him into her arms, she hands him his Curious George stuffed animal and begins rubbing his arm.

"Lady! Put your fuckin hands up!" Shotgun yelled at Jamie. "I don't care if that kid is hurt. You're no exception to my rules. Now put your hands up or I'll force you to." He added. "And stand up!"

Jamie stands up and lifts Chioke into her arms. Chioke is still crying.

"You're askin for it lady." Shotgun said.

Shotgun begins walking over to Jamie and Chioke again. When he finally gets over to them, Uzi steps in front of him to block contact with Jamie.

"Get the hell out of my way." Shotgun stated.

"Let it go." Uzi said. "Stay focused on the task. We're almost done."

"You were always a pussy."

Shotgun walks away. Uzi turns around in order to walk back toward the front door. Directly after turning, he's facing Jamie.

"Thanks." Jamie said softly.

Uzi says nothing as he just nods. He then walks back toward his area.

Once Silencer is done, and collected the thrown knife from the woman's arm, he gives Shotgun the signal that he's finished. Shotgun grabs the bag filled with half of the people's valuables and the three of them make their way to the front door in order to leave. While walking slightly backward in order to keep an eye on the people, he just smirks under his ski mask.

"I thank you all for your time." Shotgun stated.

They open the front door to leave.

"NCIS! Freeze!" Gibbs exclaimed from behind the get-away car.

Tony has the driver on the ground, placing hand-cuffs on him.

Shotgun points his shotgun at them and fires. The three bank robbers quickly run inside, as Shotgun tosses a grenade before getting back in the bank. The grenade rolls toward the get-away car.

"Grenade!" Gibbs shouted.

The NCIS team runs away from the car. The grenade rolls under the car and finally blows-up. The car explodes into flames.

Back inside the bank, Shotgun grabs the medium-sized bag they brought in and immediately wraps a chain around the front door to keep it locked. The other two men secure the people and move them all into one area. Shotgun then runs back up the stairs.

"Shit!" Shotgun exclaimed. He tosses the medium-sized bag to Silencer. "You know what to do."

With the bag in hand, Silencer begins the back-up, hostage procedures.

"Everybody… Lay on the floor!" Shotgun yelled.

As everyone begins to lie on the floor, Chioke remains standing as he's slightly confused as to everything that's happening with how frightened he is. Shotgun sees that Chioke isn't moving to lie on the floor, so he approaches Chioke and points the shotgun at him. While on the floor, Jamie tries pulling at Chioke to get him to come down to her. Shotgun kicks Jamie in the face. With blood now dripping from her mouth, she falls to the side a bit.

"Get on the floor!" Shotgun yelled at Chioke.

Chioke, being so scared right now, is completely frozen in fear due to what happened the last time someone pointed a gun at him. His heart begins beating rapidly.

In Chioke's mind, his worst nightmare quickly runs through his head. He hears his mother say; 'Run Chioke! Run!' He then hears his own voice yell; 'Mommy!' He finally begins to hear the sound of running water from a creek. Chioke hears a shot fired, then a splash of water.

Tears quickly begin flowing from Chioke's eyes as he stands there, paralyzed from fear. With blood dripping from her mouth, Jamie quickly gets between the shotgun and Chioke. She's on her knees in-between Chioke and the shotgun, in order to shield him.

"Don't point your gun at my child!" Jamie exclaimed.

"He's obviously not yours lady. He's not even the same color as you." Shotgun said.

"I may not have given birth to him, but I love him just the same."

"How heart-warming." Shotgun said in a sarcastic tone of voice. "Now get on the floor."

Shotgun turns slightly to make it look like he's going to walk away. He turns the shotgun a bit and pounds the stock, the back end of the shotgun, into Jamie's abdomen. As Jamie falls to the floor in pain, he quickly shoves Chioke down. Jamie and Chioke both lie on the floor. Shotgun finally walks away from them.

Jamie is now on the floor close to the middle table, curled-up and holding her abdomen area due to the pain. Also, while now on the floor, Chioke quickly crawls to Jamie. He wants to help her, but doesn't know what to do. With Jamie's abdomen really hurting, she tries to handle the pain as best as she can. She looks at Chioke and lifts her arms away from her abdomen and gently takes hold of him. She gently pulls him closer to her. Chioke is now lying next to Jamie. Instead of focusing on how much pain she's in, Jamie wraps both arms around Chioke in order to protect him and make him feel safe.

The bank robbery is now a hostage situation.

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**Author's note: **For the full version/explanation of Chioke's nightmare which explains what happened to his family and why he has no voice, you must read the final chapter of my story "Finger Swap". The final chapter of "Finger Swap" is strictly Chioke's nightmare and is the ONLY place where you can find the full version/explanation of it. All other times, will only be a very brief mention of his nightmare, like what I did in this chapter. Stuff like this, is the reason why I do stress the point of starting from the beginning and reading all stories in the series. But I'm just the author, what do I know --- sticks my tongue out at you.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

After a couple minutes, Fornell arrives with a mobile command center and a bunch of FBI agents. The FBI begins hostage, crisis procedures by closing off the area. The mobile command center is immediately set-up and snipers get into positions on top of buildings and anyplace they may get a clear shot from. After the outside of the bank being completely secured, Fornell walks to the mobile command center where Gibbs and the NCIS team are waiting. The arrested suspect was already taken into FBI custody.

"I appreciate the heads-up, Gibbs." Fornell stated as he approaches the vicinity. "But what are you still doing here?"

"Jamie and Chioke are in there." Gibbs stated. "We're not leaving until they're safe."

"And that's the reason you shouldn't be here, Gibbs." Fornell said. "With Jamie being inside the bank, your judgment in this matter is going to be impaired. You're too closely tied to this one." He looks to one of his FBI agents. "Agent Malone… Escort NCIS off the premises."

Agent Malone goes to place his hand on Gibbs' arm in order to escort them away from the area. Gibbs immediately grabs Agent Malone's arm, twists the arm to the man's back and shoves him against the mobile command center. Gibbs looks to Fornell.

"That's my daughter in there!" Gibbs exclaimed. "I lost her once before. I'm sure as hell not gonna lose her again."

"Dammit Gibbs! I'm gonna do everything I can to get her out safely." Fornell stated. "But I can't have you here being an emotional mess cuz it's not gonna help the situation!"

"I'm not leaving!" Gibbs lets go of Agent Malone. "Besides, I also have a Petty Officer in there."

"Just cuz one of your Petty Officer's is in there, as an accomplice to the robbery, doesn't give you any authority in the matter." Fornell said. "I do appreciate the fact that you called me cuz we've been unable to catch these guys in the act. But you need to leave, now."

Gibbs just shakes his head.

"I didn't want it to come to this, but if I have to go over your head, then I will." Fornell said. He then looks to Agent Malone who is rubbing his arm. "Get the director of NCIS on the line."

Agent Malone goes into the mobile command center.

"We both know your director will agree with me, Gibbs." Fornell stated.

Fornell walks into the mobile command center. Gibbs follows as the rest of his team remains outside. Once inside, Agent Malone hands the phone to Fornell. The director of NCIS is on the other line.

"Don't do this, Tobias." Gibbs said.

"This is FBI Agent Tobias Fornell. I have a situation…" Fornell said. He then looks into Gibbs' eyes.

"Please…" Gibbs said softly. Fornell looks into Gibbs' eyes.

"The FBI is investigating a string of bank robberies in the D.C. area. At the moment, I have a hostage crisis at Commerce Bank…" Fornell continued speaking with the NCIS director. "A Petty Officer is involved as an accomplice in the bank robberies and I request the assistance of NCIS for any possible Intel that can be provided. Since Agent Gibbs and his team are already here, I request their assistance."

After another minute of speaking with the director of NCIS, Fornell puts the phone down. He then looks at Gibbs.

"You're required to assist me with providing any Intel you have or find out." Fornell stated. "If your emotions become too much, or you cross my authority here, then I will have you removed from the premises."

"I can live with that." Gibbs said.

"I need all Intel on your Petty Officer."

"McGee…" Gibbs tries to get his attention.

"Yeah Boss?"

"Go back to headquarters and find out everything you can about Petty Officer Wade Benson."

"On it Boss."

McGee leaves. Gibbs motions for Tony and Ziva to come inside the mobile command center. They enter.

Meanwhile, back inside the bank, Shotgun is collecting the rest of the hostage's personal affects that weren't collected yet. Silencer is working on making sure all vents are sealed and any possible entrance is completely closed off. Uzi is standing close to the front door, at the top of the stairs to make sure nobody is trying to get in. While Shotgun is busy, Uzi takes out his cell-phone and holds it to his side where Shotgun won't be able to see it. He begins typing a text message. Shotgun continues making his rounds to collect the items he wants. The hostages are all still lying on the floor.

"I'm giving you all one chance to put all of your belongings into this bag, with no consequence." Shotgun stated. "Jewelry, wallets, purses, cell-phones, watches, empty everything from your pockets… And I mean everything!" Shotgun steps towards a man and holds the bag in front of him. The man begins putting his personal affects into the bag. "Is that it?"

"Yes." The man said.

"Are you sure you don't wanna reconsider your answer?" Shotgun asked with a sinister smile.

"I have nothing else."

Shotgun squats down and looks the man in the eyes. He slowly places his hand into his jacket. The man on the floor looks worried.

"Don't be scared." Shotgun stated. "I just have an itch."

Suddenly, Shotgun takes hold of a knife in his jacket. He quickly pulls it out and pounds it into the man's hand. The man screams in pain. A small puddle of blood forms.

"I said everything!" Shotgun exclaimed. "I can tell you have something in your jacket pocket."

Shotgun twists the knife while the tip of it is inside of the man's hand. The man screams even more. Shotgun puts the bag down and puts his hand into the man's pocket and takes the item out. It's painted shell that his daughter gave him when he dropped her off at school.

"What's this?" Shotgun asked.

"My daughter made it for me. She's five years old." The man said while in pain.

"Your daughter needs to take art classes, cuz this thing looks like a piece of crap." He then smashes the painted shell on the floor. He lifts the knife out of the man's hand. He then looks to the rest of the hostages. "When I say everything, I mean everything! Don't fuckin test me!"

Shotgun continues walking around to collect the hostage's personal affects. He finally comes over to Jamie and Chioke. Chioke immediately clings onto his Curious George stuffed animal. Shotgun holds the bag down. Jamie begins taking her personal affects off and out of her pockets.

"Put the stuffed animal in the bag kid." Shotgun said.

"Do as he says." Jamie said to Chioke.

Chioke shakes his head and holds onto the stuffed animal as tightly as he can. Shotgun then grabs the stuffed animal and pulls it from Chioke's arms. Chioke reaches for his stuffed animal. Shotgun smirks and pulls it away, then pushes it close and pulls it away as Chioke reaches for it once again.

"You want this back?" Shotgun asked.

With a sad facial expression, Chioke nods his head.

"Alright, you can have it back."

Shotgun rips the head off of Chioke's Curious George stuffed animal and does this right in front of his face. Chioke begins to get teary-eyed. Shotgun stands up and drops the two stuffed animal pieces in front of Chioke. Shotgun walks away as Chioke takes hold of the body and head of his Curious George stuffed animal. Jamie places her hand on Chioke's back and begins rubbing. Chioke puts the head back into position, but it falls off. Tears begin flowing from Chioke's eyes he tries putting the head back onto the stuffed animal and it keeps falling off. He then turns and lies in Jamie's arms and just cries.

While holding Chioke in her arms while he cries, Jamie is feeling a lot of abdominal pain.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

On the outside of the bank, Gibbs, Tony and Ziva are still inside of the mobile command center with Fornell. McGee is at NCIS headquarters researching everything he can find about Petty Officer Wade Benson. Gibbs, Tony and Ziva are looking through the file that Fornell placed on the table.

"We have reason to believe the string of bank robberies are gang related. Our source indicates that the gang is un-knowingly working for a terrorist sleeper cell." Fornell stated.

"You mean these guys are being played?" Tony asked.

"If that's how you wanna word it, then yes." Fornell responded. "They're the ones collecting the funds and the sleeper cell is providing them with whatever they need to get the job done. The FBI is working closely with the Department of Homeland Security to find that sleeper cell. The three men in that bank may be the only link we have." Fornell looks to the side at Agent Malone who is working on setting something up. "Is Tactical here yet?"

"They'll be here in two minutes." Agent Malone stated.

Fornell looks back to Gibbs and his team.

"We may have a slight problem with this hostage crisis." Fornell stated. "We're gonna try to resolve this in a peaceful manner, but I think it'll come down to having to give the order for Tactical to infiltrate the bank."

"If Tactical is absolutely necessary, then before they're used, I want them to be aware of where Jamie is located inside of that bank." Gibbs said.

"Do you have a photo of her that I can show them?"

"I can do even better." Gibbs said as he takes out his wallet. "Here's a photo and also the unit tracking numbers you'll need to pull up Jamie's GPS locators to know exactly where she is inside of that bank."

"You have your daughter wear GPS locators?"

"Yes." Gibbs answered. "I wanna know where she is at all times."

"I do hope she's aware of this."

"She had no objections to it."

"How many locators do you have her wearing at all times?" Fornell asked another question.

"Ten."

"Haha! Are you kidding?!" Tony laughs. "Talk about being overprotective."

Gibbs glares at Tony.

"Umm…" Tony stops laughing. "There's nothing wrong with being overprotective, Boss. It's not that it's a bad thing. It shows how much you love her." He now just looks away.

Fornell looks to Agent Malone.

"Pull up these unit tracking numbers and keep the location on screen number seven at all times." Fornell gets up and hands him the piece of paper. "Don't locate the unit tracking numbers of the items that Shotgun likes to collect from the people, cuz those wouldn't show her true position. Only locate the ones that would still be on her." He then turns back to the NCIS team and sits down.

"Why do you think this will end with resorting to the use of Tactical?" Ziva asked.

"The three men are very set in their ways. They only go for the easily accessible money and they're quick at getting it. They never go for the vault cuz it takes too much time. So it shows they aren't greedy and that's what makes them good cuz they get in and out in two minutes or less. They do the same thing every single time. Except in the last five bank robberies, Uzi's behavior pattern changed slightly and…" Fornell begins to say.

"A gun's behavior pattern changed?" Ziva asked as she's unsure as to what Fornell is talking about.

"The three men use codenames. They call each other by the name of the gun their holding. Except for Silencer… Silencer is the name of the attachment he has on his hand-gun." Fornell said. "Shotgun, Uzi and Silencer."

"Those are pretty unoriginal and very lame codenames. If it were me, I'd think of much cooler codenames to use then using what these bozos have." Tony stated. He notices everybody is giving him a strange look. "Not that I'd ever rob a bank or anything."

"So what were you saying about Uzi's change in behavior pattern?" Gibbs asked to get back on topic.

"FBI behavior analysts have analyzed the behavior patterns of these three men. Silencer shoots all of the security cameras, except for one. He leaves the one camera that has the best view of the bank in its entirety."

"Silencer is the leader?" Tony asked.

"Shotgun is the leader. Shotgun always takes charge. He's the one who has complete control while they're in a bank. Silencer just leaves one camera cuz its Shotgun's way of laughing at us. He allows us to see what his behavior is like cuz he's arrogant and cocky." Fornell stated. "He's the reason why I think this will definitely end with the use of Tactical."

Gibbs' cell-phone rings and he answers it. McGee is on the other line telling him some Intel on Petty Officer Wade Benson. Fornell can't help but think whatever the phone-call is about, that Gibbs won't tell him everything, so he stops speaking until Gibbs is done. After a minute, Gibbs closes the cell-phone.

"If the last five bank robberies occurred in the past seven weeks, then Uzi's behavior pattern changed cuz I think he was replaced with my Petty Officer after he returned from being out at sea." Gibbs stated. "He's the one who called me to tell me what was going to happen here. He doesn't wanna be here or be doing this."

"That would explain his behavior change with not taking as much of a part in the robberies as he used to." Fornell acknowledged what Gibbs said.

"I see from these surveillance photos from the security cameras that Shotgun doesn't operate in the conventional method a bank robber does." Gibbs said.

"Yeah, I've been wondering about that… Why does he make the people stand the entire time?" Tony asked.

"Cuz by having the people stand, it entices or tempts them to try running or being a hero cuz it gives him a reason to hurt them." Fornell replied. "He likes to hurt people. After every single bank robbery, three to four people had to go to the hospital for medical attention. And that was only from a two minute window."

"We have to get Jamie and Chioke out of there!" Tony exclaimed as he stands up. "Stop talking to us about all of this crap and do something! Get Tactical in there and…"

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs shouted to get his attention. Tony looks to Gibbs. "Control yourself or go back to NCIS headquarters. It's your choice."

Tony shuts his mouth and sits down. Fornell looks to Gibbs.

"I need a word with you, Gibbs."

Fornell and Gibbs walk off and down to the end of the mobile command center.

"What are you keeping from me?" Fornell asked.

"Nothing…" Gibbs replied.

"Bullshit… I know you Jethro. There's always something you keep from me."

"Fine, you wanna know what I'm keeping from you." Gibbs said. "I'm afraid. I'm afraid for Jamie cuz she's trapped in that bank with a monster who likes to hurt people."

"I know this must be hard. But believe me when I say I'm gonna do everything I can to get her out safely."

"I know, Tobias."

Suddenly, Gibbs' cell-phone vibrates. He takes the cell-phone out of his pocket and opens it. He received a text message that reads as follows:

**The text message**

23 hostages-none dead-4 injured atm, 3 perps-include me, all vents sealed & laced with PE. How can I help? POWB

**End text message**

Gibbs hands Fornell the cell-phone so he can read the text message.

"The text message is from Petty Officer Wade Benson." Gibbs stated. "We have an ally in that bank."

"He's one of them." Fornell said. "What makes you think you can trust him?"

"My gut tells me I can." Gibbs said. "By the way, do you know what atm means?"

"I have no clue."

"Get Tactical inside of the ventilation system with explosive detectors. If they detect the chemical composition of plastic explosives…"

"Then I guess I could trust your Petty Officer." Fornell stated. He now looks down toward the end of the mobile command center at Tony. Then he looks back to Gibbs.

"I know there's something you're not telling me, Tobias."

"There's another reason I wanted to speak with you alone."

"It has something to do with DiNozzo, doesn't it?"

"Shotgun is arrogant and cocky, like I've already said. But he's also heartless, mean… And he hates children." Fornell stated. "During every bank robbery, he's always the meanest to a child. I know Chioke is DiNozzo's adopted son, so I thought you should be aware of this beforehand."

Gibbs looks toward the back of the mobile command center at Tony, while he and Ziva are looking through the file on the table. Gibbs takes a deep breath as he realizes this is something he has to keep from Tony.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Some time after the arrival of Tactical, they immediately begin working with explosive detectors in the ventilation system of the bank. In the mobile command center, Tony is looking at screen number seven as it now displays Jamie's GPS locators with her exact position. Gibbs and Ziva are waiting as Fornell finally made contact with Shotgun. The hostage negotiations aren't going well.

"I'll get you the pizza, but in return, all I'm asking for is a sign of good faith by releasing one hostage." Fornell said. "That's all. No tricks."

"You may think you're in control here, but let me tell you something…" Shotgun begins saying. "You're not the one in control!"

"You and I both know I can't leave. That no one here is authorized to leave until the situation is resolved. I'm giving you a choice…"

"I may have nowhere to go, but I'm the one who has the choice of who lives and who dies. Can you live with yourself if you're the reason one of these people ends up dead?" Shotgun asked. "Give me my pizza."

"We all wanna resolve this peacefully."

"Like hell you do. All you care about are the hostages."

"I care about everybody in there, even you. Give me a hostage and you'll get your pizza. It's as simple as that."

"If you want a hostage, or all of them, then come in and get em! But if you don't give me my pizza within the next hour, then I'll toss a dead hostage out the front door. And that death will be on your hands."

Shotgun hangs up the phone.

"That went well." Fornell stated as he puts the phone down. "If Tactical can do something within the hour, then I'm giving them the order to move in. But if not, then I can't take the risk of him killing a hostage over a pizza."

Inside of the bank, Shotgun grabs a chair and walks over to Jamie and Chioke. He puts the chair close to them and sits down. Jamie is still having abdominal pain.

"That Agent Fornell guy wants me to release a hostage." Shotgun said. "What do you think, should I release a hostage?"

"I think you should put that shotgun in your mouth and pull the trigger." Jamie responded.

"You're a feisty lady. What's your name?" Shotgun gets no response to his question. He looks to Chioke. "What's her name?" Also gets no response. "I can easily find out." He stands up and walks to the bag of items that was collected from the hostages.

"My name is Jamie." She shouted.

Shotgun stops, turns and walks back to the chair and sits down. He leans down slightly to get a little bit closer to Jamie.

"See… That wasn't so hard." Shotgun said. The he grabs Jamie's left hand and slashes her palm with a knife.

Jamie pulls her hand inward and applies pressure to the new wound. Chioke tries to hit Shotgun, who just catches Chioke's hand. He then shoves Chioke to the floor.

"I can tell you hate me, kid." Shotgun said. "There's no shame in hating another person. It's a part of life to hate the people who are mean to you. You know you hate me, so why not just say it." Shotgun said. "Come on, I've been mean to you ever since I got here. Just say that you hate me."

Chioke turns his head to look away. Shotgun grabs Chioke by the jaw and forces him to look him in the eyes. Jamie gets up slightly in order to push Shotgun away from Chioke, but Shotgun steps on her wounded hand. Jamie screams in pain.

"Now… As I was saying before I was almost rudely interrupted… All I want you to do is say what you're truly feeling." Shotgun said. "Then I'll leave you alone."

There's a moment of silence. Then Shotgun lets go of Chioke's jaw and shoves him to the floor again. Before Shotgun walks away, Chioke looks to him and begins making hands movements.

'I hate you.' Chioke signed.

"What the fuck was that?!" Shotgun exclaimed.

"It's called sign language, you ignorant twit." Jamie said.

"Haha!" Shotgun laughed. "What, you're too stupid to know how to speak?"

"The only stupid person here is you!" Jamie exclaimed.

Shotgun stomps on Jamie's wounded hand. Again, Jamie screams in pain.

"I'm not the one who adopted a stupid, needy kid who doesn't know how to speak like normal people." Shotgun now looks to Chioke. "You're like an illegal immigrant that doesn't know how to speak English… They're completely worthless and shouldn't be in this country. You may know English, but if you can't speak it, then you should go back to wherever you came from." He added. "You're not worth loving cuz you're just a stupid kid."

Chioke now has a really sad facial expression upon his face.

"Aww… The little baby is gonna cry. Go ahead and cry, like the stupid little kid you are." Shotgun said.

"Pick on someone your own size, you Jackass!" A hostage, a man, shouted in order to get Shotgun's attention drawn away from Chioke.

Shotgun stands up and walks to the man who made the comment. The man is lying on the floor like the other hostages. Shotgun drops a knife in front of the man.

"You seem to be my size. So get up." Shotgun said. "I'm giving you the opportunity to end my abusive behavior right now. Pick up the knife and attack me."

The man quickly looks at Chioke who still has a sad facial expression as Jamie is trying to comfort him. The man grabs the knife and stands up.

"It takes a big man to pick on a little kid." The hostage said. "You're a pathetic loser."

"Then why don't you shut me up." Shotgun stated.

The man swings the knife, but Shotgun blocks the attack and slams his elbow into the man's arm, forcing him to drop the knife. Then he punches the man in the face and kicks him in the shin. As the man swings his arm in order to punch, Shotgun, yet again, blocks the attack by grabbing the man's arm and twisting it behind the man's back. He then trips the man. The man falls to the floor.

"Come on, you can do better then that." Shotgun kicks the knife to him. The man remains lying on the floor after his attempt. "If you don't get up and fight me, then I'll go back over to that stupid kid and make fun of him. By fighting me, for the next hour, I'll leave him alone. For a whole hour, you would be saving him from the humiliation and the hurtful feelings of what I may possibly say."

The man grabs the knife and attack Shotgun once again. Silencer begins cheering. As Shotgun and the hostage continue fighting, Uzi walks over to Jamie and Chioke. Chioke scoots in closer to Jamie. Uzi sits in the chair and leans down a bit.

"Ma'am, are you pregnant?" Uzi asked.

"Yes." Jamie answered as she's holding her abdomen with wounded hand and rubbing Chioke's back with her other hand.

"I'm gonna try to get you and your son out of here cuz you most likely need medical attention." Uzi said. "Just try and hold on a little bit longer."

Uzi then gets up. He watches Shotgun beating on the hostage, shakes his head and walks away. He takes out his cell-phone in order to start typing another text message.

After the fight between Shotgun and the hostage lasting another five minutes, it's finally over. Shotgun walks away as the man lies on the floor hurting. The man lies in a bloody mess with a couple broken bones.

Back in the mobile command center, Gibbs receives the text message from Petty Officer Wade Benson. The text message reads as follows:

**The text message**

Pregnant lady, Jamie, in need of medical attention, I'll try to get my brother to release her.

**End text message**

After reading the text message, Gibbs becomes angry as he now realizes that Shotgun hurt his daughter. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath in order to keep his emotions under control.

Tactical radios in to the mobile command center.

"This is team leader Echo 1…" The Tactical team leader said. "The ventilation system is a no go. Plastic explosives detected." He said. "I repeat… Plastic explosives detected. Ventilation system is a no go. Over…"

There's a moment of silence. Then Fornell finally notices the expression on Gibbs' face and that his eyes are closed.

"You look pissed, Gibbs." Fornell acknowledged Gibbs' facial expression.

"Shotgun is Wade Benson's brother." Gibbs stated.

"So you got another text message, can I see it?"

"Yes… But I accidentally deleted it."

"I'm not stupid, Gibbs. You deleted it on purpose."

"If you wanna remove me off the premises, then do so."

"I should've removed you a long time ago." Fornell now holds his hand out. "Give me your cell-phone. The next text message that comes thru… I read it first." He said. "When I spoke to your director, I left out the part about Jamie being inside of the bank. I can easily call her and tell her the truth. And we both know what she would say and what would happen if I do."

Gibbs hands Fornell his cell-phone.

"If you didn't hear, Tactical detected plastic explosives." Fornell said.

"I told you he can be trusted." Gibbs said.

"I need to order that pizza and make sure it gets here on time."

Agent Malone researches Wade Benson's brother, to check if there's any criminal history. Fornell places the order for pizza. Tony is lost in staring at screen number seven at Jamie's location inside of the bank. And Gibbs can't help but wanting to tear Shotgun's head off.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

With getting close to the time of Shotgun wanting his pizza, everyone is trying to think of possible solutions to end the hostage crisis. The police have the area around the bank closed off to unauthorized personnel. Reporters and news vans are also in the area, along with curious people that keep arriving to catch a glimpse of what's going on.

"This is Lyn Kelsey reporting live from the Commerce Bank on the corner of North and 3rd where a hostage crisis has ensued after an attempted bank robbery went horribly wrong." The reporter begins. "The robbers entered the bank shortly after the morning rush. Federal agents in the area reacting to suspicious behavior were able to apprehend the driver of the get-a-way car. When the robbers tried to flee the bank, they found authorities already outside. One robber threw a grenade causing the parked vehicle to explode, in an attempt to hold authorities back long enough to re-enter into the bank." The reporter continued. "At this moment…"

Inside of the mobile command center, as the reporter continues speaking through her live broadcast, Tony is watching the news report.

"They never mention us." Tony shakes his head. "Is it so hard for them to mention NCIS? Just one time, I wanna hear NCIS, instead of Federal agents or authorities."

"You don't seem worried for Jamie and Chioke right now." Ziva stated.

"I'm more worried for them then I can possibly show emotion for." Tony sighs as he looks back at screen number seven. "Besides, if I wanna stay, I need to hold it in as much as possible."

Meanwhile, inside of the bank, Uzi has been trying to convince Shotgun to release a hostage. They two of them at the top of the stairs near the front door.

"If it hasn't occurred to you, we need these hostages." Shotgun said. "I ain't letting any of them go!"

"We need time to figure out how to get out of here." Uzi said. "All I'm saying is that if we release two hostages, they'll see it as a sign of good faith and it'll buy us more time to figure out what to do. We'll still have 21 hostages."

"No!" Shotgun exclaimed as he's slightly annoyed at this point.

The phone rings. Shotgun picks up the phone.

"You got my pizza Agent Fornell?" Shotgun asked.

"Yes I do." Fornell said.

"I want you to come to the door and hand the pizza to Uzi. If you even think about sniping him, I'll start executing the hostages. Come unarmed cuz you know what will happen if you do."

Shotgun hangs up the phone.

"Gibbs…" Fornell said to get his attention. "If we somehow get Wade's brother to come to the front door in order to neutralize him, do you think you can trust Wade to neutralize Silencer?"

"I believe he would, yes." Gibbs said. "Though… It's hard to make contact with him since I don't have my cell-phone."

Fornell reaches into his pocket and tosses Gibbs his cell-phone.

"Do it." Fornell said.

Fornell grabs the pizzas and slowly, yet cautiously walks to the front door of the bank. Uzi walks down the stairs and meets Fornell at the door. Uzi opens the door. Fornell tries to look inside and sees Shotgun standing at the top of the stairs. As Fornell hands Uzi the pizzas, Shotgun walks down the stairs.

"The extra pizzas are for the hostages." Fornell stated to Uzi.

The pizzas are now in Uzi's hands. Shotgun finally reaches the front door and grabs the pizza off the top. He then pushes the rest out of Uzi's hands. The pizzas from Uzi's hands fall off unto the sidewalk, just outside the front door. Shotgun pushes Uzi to the side. Uzi stands there and looks down.

"I said one pizza!" Shotgun exclaimed. "The hostages don't eat."

"You really are heartless, Shawn." Fornell said.

"Haha!" Shotgun, Shawn Benson, laughed. "It was only a matter of time before our driver gave up our names." He finally takes his ski mask off to reveal his face.

"You have quite the criminal record too."

"You now have more to add to that list."

Shawn slams the front door in Fornell's face. Petty Officer Wade Benson finally takes his ski mask off and looks Fornell in the eyes, through the glass of the front door. Fornell can tell Wade wants out. Shawn grabs his brother and both of them walk up the stairs as Fornell goes back to the mobile command center.

Once at the top of the stairs, Shawn walks to a small table along the side of the wall. He puts the pizza on the table, opens the box, grabs a slice and begins eating. Silencer walks over, sits down and also grabs a slice and begins eating. Petty Officer Wade Benson just stands nearby. Shawn notices a couple people looking at him.

"What the fuck you looking at?!" Shawn exclaimed. The hostages look away. Shawn looks to his little brother Wade. "You're not hungry?"

"No." Petty Officer Wade Benson answered.

"Your loss." Shawn said.

"Have you thought about what I said with releasing two hostages?"

"You know I hate being annoyed when I'm eating. Pick a hostage to release and leave me the fuck alone." Shawn said. "Not two… Only one."

Petty Officer Wade Benson walks over to Jamie and Chioke. He kneels down next to them. Jamie is still lying on the floor holding her abdomen.

"I'm getting you out of here, Ma'am." Petty Officer Wade Benson said.

"What about Chioke?" Jamie asked.

"I can only release one of you. And you need medical attention."

"I'm not leaving without Chioke."

"But I can only…"

"Then leave me. Take him." Jamie stated. "Please…"

Petty Officer Wade Benson looks into Jamie's eyes as she gently places her hand on his arm.

"Come on, Chioke." Petty Officer Wade Benson said. He tries to grab hold of him, but Chioke pulls away.

"Sweetie…" Jamie tries to get Chioke's attention. He looks to her. "I want you to go. I'll be fine. Don't worry about me."

Chioke shakes his head and grabs unto Jamie as he doesn't want to leave her behind.

"Take him… Please." Jamie pleaded.

Petty Officer Wade Benson grabs Chioke. As he's being pulled away, Chioke tries reaching for Jamie. Jamie quickly hands Chioke his broken Curious George stuffed animal. Chioke takes hold of it. Petty Officer Wade Benson starts walking to the front door as Chioke, while in Wade's arms, keeps wiggling and squirming.

As Chioke looks back to Jamie, in his mind, he sees glimpses of his mother lying on the ground in a pool of her own blood after being shot. He then sees glimpses of his brother and sister in the same way. His heart-rate increases.

Chioke begins crying as he doesn't want the same thing happening to Jamie as what happened to his family. As Chioke is taken further and further away from Jamie, he tries more and more to break free. As they reach the top of the stairs, Chioke takes a quick glimpse at Shawn who just gives him a dirty look. Shawn is on the phone with Agent Fornell, telling him that a hostage is being released. Chioke looks back to Jamie and continues trying to break free as he's being taken down the stairs. After walking down a couple steps, Jamie is now out of Chioke's line of sight. He begins crying even more.

Three members of the Tactical team are ready to move in to bring the hostage to safety after being released.

Petty Officer Wade Benson reaches the front door. He opens the door and places Chioke outside. He then closes the door. Chioke, with seeing gun pointed in his direction, remains standing at the front door. The three members of the Tactical team are waving for Chioke to come to them. Chioke's eyes widen as all he sees are their guns. He becomes scared, drops the two pieces of his stuffed animal, turns and begins pounding on the bank's front door. Shawn gets on the phone with Agent Fornell again.

"Get that stupid fuckin kid away from the bank or I'll bring him back in!" Shawn then hangs up.

The three members of the Tactical team slowly advance toward the bank in order to get Chioke. Tony is outside of the mobile command center watching everything. Chioke sees the men heading toward him. All he sees are their guns. He gets on his knees and leans to the ground in fear. He buries his face in his arms begins shaking. Tony can tell Chioke is really scared so he quickly pops his head into the mobile command center.

"Call them back, Fornell!" Tony exclaimed. "He's scared. I'll get him."

Fornell gives the word for Tactical to turn back. Tony leaves the mobile command center walks to the bank in order to get Chioke. Tony finally approaches the front door. Chioke is still scared, lying on the ground shaking and crying. Tony kneels down next to him.

"Chioke…" Tony tries to get his attention. "It's me, Tony." He now places his hand on Chioke's back.

Chioke turns his head to see Tony right next to him. He immediately drops the two pieces of his stuffed animal and grabs hold of Tony. Tony lifts Chioke into his arms and with his left hand, grabs the two pieces of the stuffed animal. Tony, with Chioke in his arms, walks away from the bank. Chioke is now safe.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

A while after Chioke being released and back into the loving arms of his legal guardian Tony, a text message was sent to Petty Officer Wade Benson. They're waiting for a response from him. The bank owner/manager, Stephen Wells, a little person, finally arrives at the scene and is being escorted to the mobile command center. A possible plan of infiltration is being discussed as Tony is taking care of Chioke in the back of the mobile command center and as they're waiting for the bank owner/manager.

"I have Tactical placed at either side of the bank. They're less then 7 seconds away from the front door and ready to go." Fornell stated. "A sniper will neutralize Shawn. Wade will neutralize Silencer, who we now know as being Jose Sanchez from what their driver told us. As soon as the shot is fire, Tactical will rush in and make sure Jose is taken down."

"Once the shot is fire, it'll take Tactical 15 seconds to get fully inside. If Wade is unable to neutralize Jose, then he'll have 15 seconds to execute hostages." Ziva said.

"I know. But at this moment, it may be our only option." Fornell said. "Gibbs…" He tries to get his attention. "Ask Wade if he thinks he can keep Jose neutralized for at least 15 seconds. If he doesn't think he can do it, then we scratch the plan."

"If Wade can do it… The only problem with this plan is; how to lure Shawn to come to the front door." Gibbs said.

Agent Malone steps into the mobile command center with the bank owner/manager, a little person named Stephen Wells.

"I hope there's a good reason you brought me down here." Stephen stated.

Everybody is shocked at his uncaring attitude.

"You do realize there are bank robbers holding hostages inside of your bank, don't you?" Ziva said.

"Yeah…" Stephen acknowledged the situation. "So? What's your point?" He asked. "While they're still inside of my bank, they better be working cuz they're still on my time."

"And what if you were inside of the bank right now? Do you think they'd let you work?!" Ziva exclaimed.

"If I was still inside of the bank, they'd never find me." Stephen stated.

"What do you mean they'd never find you?" Fornell asked.

"There's another way into the bank." Gibbs said as he reads Stephen's body language.

"It's not really a way to get into the bank. It's just a hiding spot, only accessible from my office. I'm the only one who knows of it." Stephen stated. "There's a table in my office that I push to the side, lift the rug, then a floorboard and crawl inside. The tunnel leads to a small space. It has a tiny vent that goes up to the bank so I can hear when the coast is clear. Then I would come out."

"You little coward!" Ziva exclaimed. Stephen gives her a dirty look.

"She didn't mean that the way it sounded." Gibbs said.

"I'm sure she did." Stephen said.

"Could that small space be accessible from the sewer system?" Fornell asked.

Stephen Wells doesn't answer. He looks away. Gibbs reads his body language once again.

"It can be." Gibbs said. "We need the sewer plans for the area."

"You don't have anybody who can fit thru the small space." Stephen stated.

"I can." Ziva said.

"Good luck lady. It'll be a tight fit even for you."

"What would really be a tight fit is, me sticking my arm down your throat to rip your heart out."

There's a moment of silence.

"You're not seriously considering ruining a part of my bank, are you? Cuz if you are, then I'll sue." Stephen said. "That space is private property."

"Private property that I'm sure the building department would love to know about cuz I'm guessing you paid-off a private contractor to make for you, without having the necessary permits." Gibbs stated. "So when we destroy your cowardly hiding space to get inside of your bank, we'll smile all the way to the courtroom cuz your threat to sue us, means nothing."

Stephen Wells now remains silent as Fornell gives the motion for Agent Malone to escort him out of the mobile command center and off the premises.

"New plan…" Fornell begins to say. "We get Ziva on the inside thru the small space. Once she's in position, we lure Shawn to the front door, even it's by having extra food cuz he said the hostages don't eat. A sniper neutralizes Shawn. Ziva neutralizes Jose. Tactical moves in and secures the building." He said. "We use Wade as a back-up, in the case Ziva is unable to get in."

Fornell picks up the phone in order to make a call to get the schematics for the sewer system. With the combination of the schematics for the bank and the sewer system, they'll be able to determine where in the sewer they should begin to dig a hole in order to have access to the small space. After a minute, Fornell hangs up the phone.

"Since we know there's a small vent connecting the bank to the small space, we'll have to dig the hole in the old fashioned way. No use of power tools." Fornell stated. "It kinda reminds me of you building your boat, Gibbs."

Fornell turns to get back on the phone. Gibbs looks to Ziva.

"With how small that space probably is, you're not gonna be able to bring anything except for a gun." Gibbs said. "Jamie is in there. You do whatever you have to do to keep her safe."

As Gibbs and Ziva keep talking, Fornell remains on the phone making calls and Tony is still in the back taking care of Chioke. Chioke looks on the table at his broken stuffed animal. He has a sad facial expression as he just looks downward.

"I'll buy you a new Curious George stuffed animal." Tony stated. "If you don't want a new one, we'll get this one fixed. I promise."

Chioke finally looks up at Tony. Chioke begins making hand movements.

'Am I not smart?' Chioke signed.

"I don't know the last word you signed." Tony said. He turns his head. "Gibbs…" He tries to get his attention. "What word is he signing?"

Chioke signs the last word for Gibbs.

"He signed the word; smart." Gibbs said.

Tony and Chioke look back to each other. Chioke sighs as he continues having a sad facial expression.

"What makes you think you're not smart?" Tony asked.

'Man…' Chioke points in the direction the bank is in because he doesn't yet know how to sign the words to connect what he's trying to communicate. '…Say I not smart.'

"The man in the bank…" Tony begins to say as he made the connection as to what Chioke is trying to communicate. "…Is a jerk who hates everybody." He places his hand on Chioke's chin and gently pushes his head upward in order to look him in the eyes. "You're the smartest little boy I ever knew." Tony smiles as he wipes a single tear away from Chioke's eye. "You know how I know you're very smart."

'How?' Chioke signed.

"That's how." Tony said. "When I first met you, you didn't know how to speak with your hands. But since then, you've been learning how." He added. "And I'm so proud of you for learning." Tony said as Chioke finally smiles. "Cuz of you, I'm also learning to speak with my hands. I may not be as advanced as you are…"

'You a Probie.'

"Yes…" Tony laughed. "I'm the Sign Language Probie."

Chioke leans forward and wraps his arms around Tony. He then climbs into Tony's lap. Tony holds Chioke in his arms and gently rocks him back and forth. With Chioke in the comfort of Tony's arms, his eyes begin to close as the whole ordeal inside of the bank was quite tiring.

Meanwhile, somewhere outside in the crowd behind the police barricade, an Arabian man has been watching the scene the entire time. He finally turns away and takes out his cell-phone. He walks away from the scene in order to go to his van. Once inside of the van, he hits the steering wheel. He opens the cell-phone and makes a call. A person on the other line, a member of his sleeper cell, picks up.

"We may have a complication." The Arabian man stated in his native language. "They already have one in custody. It's only a matter of time before the remaining three are also in custody. We can't risk these gang members being able to establish a link to us." He continued. "Until we know our mission, we're just supposed to collect funding for it." He added. "Gather everything, torch the place and relocate."

The Arabian man closes his cell-phone, turns the key to start the van and finally drives away.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's note: **From the ending of the last chapter, it may appear to be a little confusing and I do apologize about that. In an earlier chapter, Fornell said that the bank robbers are gang related, so they're gang members. Then it's known that the gang members are unknowingly working for a terrorist sleeper cell. The person the Arabian guy called is NOT a person inside of the bank. He called a member of his cell because the gang members (bank robbers) will eventually be in FBI custody and there's a chance they might be able to establish a possible link to where the terrorist cell is located. The Arabian guy realizes this, so obviously, the terrorists need to destroy their location and any possible evidence that they've been there (finger prints, hair samples, etc.) and move there base of operations before the gang members (bank robbers) can point any fingers or give up a possible location. I do apologize for any confusion (if anybody was confused), but hopefully this clears up everything.

**---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Chapter 9**

As the digging in the sewer to get to the small hiding space commences, all anybody can really do is sit and wait. Inside of the bank Shawn Benson tries to get a hold of his employer using the satellite phone. He keeps getting no response. Jamie is still lying on the floor next to the small table in the middle of the bank. She's still having abdominal pain.

Tony, Chioke and Ziva walk to a corner store to get a bit to eat. As they're inside, Chioke is sitting at a table eating a turkey sandwich. Tony and Ziva are near the front door. Tony is munching on a cheeseburger. Ziva is looking outside in the direction of the bank. Tony is keeping an eye on Chioke while he remains seated at the table eating.

Abby and McGee walk pass the corner store. Abby notices Tony and Ziva so she stops and walks in. McGee keeps walking in the direction of the mobile command center.

"Oh my God you guys! McGee told me what's going on." Abby said. "I feel so bad for poor Chioke being stuck in the bank. I mean, he's just a lil boy so I'm sure it's really scary for him…"

"Abs…" Tony tries to get his attention.

"How can you stand here munching on a cheeseburger when Chioke is…"

Tony moves to the side because he realized his body was blocking Abby's view of Chioke. Abby now sees him.

"Oh…" Abby now realizes Chioke is safe. "Well… Where's Jamie?"

"She's still inside of the bank." Ziva replied.

"No." Abby said in a sad voice. "We have to get her out."

"We're working on it." Tony said.

"You're just working on eating a cheeseburger." Abby said.

"The only thing I can do right now, is be here for Chioke." Tony stated.

"You're right. I didn't mean to make it sound like you don't care about Jamie." Abby said. "I just want her to be safe."

"Me too." Tony agreed.

"We have a plan, but it'll take some time to get it started." Ziva stated. "I'll be going in."

"Alone?" Abby asked.

"Well, if the space is as small as we think, then I'm the only one who can possible squeeze thru."

"Hopefully you don't get stuck." Abby said as she sees Chioke waving for her to sit with him. Abby walks over to Chioke.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Ziva said as Abby walked away.

"I believe you can do it." Tony stated.

"Thanks, Tony." Ziva said as she heard the sincerity in Tony's tone of voice that he believes in her.

"I may crack jokes, sometimes…" Tony begins to say as he sees the expression on Ziva's face. "Ok… Maybe often…" He sees she has the same facial expression. "Ok… A lot." He sees her facial expression is back to normal. "But even though I do crack a lot of jokes at your expense, I don't doubt your abilities, Ziva. I never did and never will. I trust you to watch my back."

"Please tell me you're not gonna get all sentimental on me now." Ziva stated.

Tony, jokingly, advances with his arms open to give Ziva a hug. Ziva pulls away and places her hand on Tony's chest to push him back.

"If you touch me, then I'll take that cheeseburger and make sure the next time you see it, will be when you're using the toilet." Ziva threatened him. "And I don't mean shoving the cheeseburger down your throat."

"You would stick your hand up my butt?" Tony asked.

"I never said I would shove it up there with my hand. Cuz I would shove up there with yours."

Tony pulls back and continues eating his cheeseburger. There's a moment of silence.

"I don't doubt your abilities either, Tony." Ziva stated.

"Aww… I knew you cared." Tony smiled.

Inside of the mobile command center, Gibbs and Fornell are finally met by McGee's mad-dash as he trips on a step and makes a loud thump as he lands on the floor. They look at McGee.

"Ow…" McGee said.

"Is there some reason you're in such a rush, McGee?" Gibbs asked.

"I heard on the news…" McGee begins to say as he stands up. "…That in every bank robbery, one security camera was left running during the heist. If they leave one camera running during a heist, they might have left one camera running right now."

"It is running." Agent Malone stated. "I've been trying to access the security feed for two hours now. But for some reason I'm unable to."

"They probably hooked up a device to the security…" McGee begins to say.

"Get to the point, McGee." Gibbs said.

"I think Abby and I can hack into whatever device they hooked up to the security feed."

Gibbs and Fornell look behind McGee.

"You and Abs… You don't say." Gibbs said in a slightly sarcastic tone of voice.

"Tell him Abby." McGee said. After a couple of seconds of hearing nothing, he turns around to see Abby isn't with him anymore. "She was right here a minute ago."

"Go find her." Gibbs said.

"Right, Boss."

McGee leaves the mobile command center.

"What can they possible do that my guy hasn't tried yet?" Fornell asked.

"You would be surprise what those two can do when they put their minds together." Gibbs responded.

"If they can do it, then we'll have eyes inside of the bank, Jethro."

"When Ziva's inside she'll have an earwig, so we'll be able to tell her exactly what we see from the security camera."

Gibbs and Fornell smile as the hostage crisis appears to be making good progress in finally being resolved with a plan of action.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

A couple hours later, the infiltration plan is advancing as the small hiding space has finally been reached. Due to the smell of the sewer, they're using bags upon bags of air fresheners to dilute the stench long enough to sealed off the small vent leading up to the bank. The bags upon bags of air fresheners are surrounding the area of where the hole was dug.

Abby and McGee, along with Agent Malone are frantically working on keeping the security feed online as technical problems due to the device attached to the security system requires every bit of their attention and knowledge to keep it up and running. Fornell is coordinating the Tactical team and snipers. Ziva is making her way into the sewer system in order to begin her ascend to get inside of the bank. Chioke is sleeping in the back of the mobile command center, while Gibbs and Tony are on the outside just talking.

"You know, Boss… You've been spending a lot of time up in MTAC lately and I…" Tony begins to say.

"Gee, DiNozzo… It must have taken all of your investigative knowledge and skills to figure that one out." Gibbs said sarcastically.

"Let me guess, it's need-to-know."

"Yeah." Gibbs said. "And you don't need to know."

"I may not need to know, but it's different when I want to know, or, would like to know cuz of my curiosity." Tony stated. "So technically you could tell me since the phrase need-to-know doesn't apply to, wanting, to know."

"You must really be worried about Jamie to make up such nonsense."

"It shows doesn't it?"

"A little bit."

"I'm just trying to keep my mind occupied enough until this whole crisis is over and Jamie is safe."

"I am too, Tony. I am too."

"Did you hear we have a pet lobster?"

"Jamie told me about that." Gibbs laughed. "She said its name is Simba. Simba the lobster."

"Chioke loves it. The lobster fascinates him. You should see his face when he's looking into the tank."

"He has the biggest smile on his face… A smile that can light-up the entire world."

"How did you know I was gonna say that?" Tony asked as he's slightly confused as to how Gibbs knew what he would say.

"You seem to forget, DiNozzo. I'm a father myself."

There's a moment of silence.

"How do you do it?" Tony asked. "I don't know how to be a father. I mean… Chioke unexpectedly came into my life at a time when I wasn't prepared for fatherhood. Jamie is pregnant in all, but I don't think I'm prepared enough for it. And with Chioke, I'm trying the best I can, but for some reason, I feel like I'm not doing it right and I don't want him to suffer for my lack of..."

"Tony…" Gibbs tries to get his attention.

"Yeah?"

"Everything you're doing for Chioke is right." Gibbs places his hand on Tony's shoulder. "I know it's hard to grasp the concept of being a father sometimes. You're constantly thinking if everything you're doing for the child, in this case Chioke, is what you should be. But let me tell you something… You're an excellent father. Chioke is very lucky to have you. Just keep doing exactly what you're doing and everything will turn out fine."

"Thanks, Dad." Tony said.

Gibbs turns his head and gives Tony a weird look.

"I mean, Gibbs…" Tony sees he still has the same expression on his face. "What I meant to say was, Boss." He grins.

Gibbs smacks Tony on the back of the head. The two of them laugh. They now hear the static from their walkie-talkie.

"Tony…" Ziva tries to find out if he's around to answer.

"Yeah, Ziva?" Tony wonders what she wants.

"There's an issue of Playboy down here. One of the guys said it's the Pamela Anderson debut issue."

"Are you series?!" Tony gets slightly excited. He then realizes Gibbs is still right next to him. "I mean… No big deal. Pamela Anderson isn't so great anyway. Besides, I'm not into Playboy. I wake up to a beautiful woman almost…" He acts like something finally hit him. "Wait a minute… I do only, almost, wake up to her every morning." He now looks to Gibbs. "She sleeps at your place more then mine."

"We both know you're ok with her choice in regards to the living arrangements." Gibbs stated.

"I know… I was just trying to…"

Gibbs smacks Tony on the back of the head.

"…Play off the whole excitement thing by changing the subject." Tony finished his sentence as he rubs his head. "Though, it is a classic issue."

"How does Jamie's choice in living arrangements make you feel?" Gibbs asked Tony. "Jamie told me about the conversation you two had a while back, but I wanna make sure it hasn't changed cuz I don't want you feeling like you don't mean as much to her or anything."

"She may only sleep at my place three nights a week, but with how much time you two lost, I understand how much you two need either other." Tony answered. "I'm perfectly happy with the way things are. And the living arrangements don't bother me at all."

"You guys aren't gonna start hugging, are you?" Ziva asked as she heard everything that was just said over the walk-talkie since Tony forgot to take his finger off of a certain button.

"Oops." Tony takes his finger off of the button.

In the sewer, with the small vent in the hiding space sealed, Ziva prepares for what she needs to do. The men, who dug the hole, now bring over a couple more bags of air fresheners. One man sets up two oxygen tanks at the bottom and attaches a tube to it. Ziva takes hold of the other end of the tube in order to set it up. She looks to the men.

"You really don't want me to force you to turn your heads." Ziva stated. "So I suggest you do so."

The men turn around. Their backs are now facing Ziva. Ziva pulls her pants down, just below her knees and sticks the oxygen tube up through a pants leg. With her other hand, she reaches down into the pant leg and pulls the tube up. She then lifts her pants back up around her waist.

"You can look now." Ziva said.

One man walks over to Ziva, kneels down and begins to fasten the oxygen tube to the bottom of her pants leg. Next, Ziva sticks the tube up her shirt with her right hand. With her left hand, she reaches down the collar of the shirt. She hands off the tube to her left hand and pulls it up. Ziva attaches the tube to her nose. Once the man is done fastening the tube to her pants leg, he walks over to the oxygen tank. He turns the knob to release the oxygen. Ziva points her thumb in the air to let him know she's receiving the oxygen. She now steps to the latter.

Before ascending up the latter into the small hiding space, Ziva puts the earwig into her left ear. Gibbs does a radio check to make sure she's receiving a clear signal. Ziva raises her thumb and the man with the walkie-talkie lets Gibbs know that Ziva can hear him.

Ziva now climbs the short latter. Once at the top, she takes out her gun. She makes sure the safety switch is on. She then places the gun across her mouth and bites down on it. With the gun across her mouth, Ziva ascends into the small hiding space. She maneuvers her way to the small tunnel that leads up to the bank owner's/manager's office. With looking at the tunnel, her eyes widen at how small it is. The tunnel is smaller then she thought it might be. Ziva now moves closer and begins to make her way into the tunnel as she still believes she's skinny enough to fit through. To get through the tunnel, Ziva is wiggling, squirming and doing her best to maneuver her way through the small, tight tunnel.

In order for Ziva to reach the top of the tunnel so she can enter into the bank, it will take quite a while due to the amount of space she has to move through. Her ascend up the tunnel is slow and tedious. Her belief that she can do it, and how Gibbs and Tony also believe in her, is what's pushing her to not give up.

Meanwhile, inside of the bank, Shawn is aggravated that he's unable to reach his employer using the satellite phone. The three bank robbers, Shawn, Wade and Jose are sitting at the side table. Their guns are lying on top of the table. All guns, even the concealed weapons, are on the table. The weapons consist of; one Uzi and shotgun, several throwing knives, and four 9MM Beretta handguns, one with a silencer attached to it. Shawn places three throwing knives back into his jacket and leaves the rest on the table. He then grabs a 9MM Beretta and walks over to Jamie. Jamie, who is still lying on the floor in pain, looks up at him as he sits in the chair next to her.

"You know what sucks… It seems my employer doesn't give a shit about my current situation." Shawn stated.

"Maybe you were being used." Jamie responded.

"I actually think you're right about that."

"Since you've been screwed over… How about you just give up cuz you have nowhere to go."

Shawn grabs Jamie by the hair and sticks the 9MM Beretta in her face.

"How about I shoot you instead…" Shawn said. He paused for a couple seconds as he looks at Jamie's facial expression. "Are you in pain?"

"What do you think, you dipshit." Jamie replied. "You punched and kicked me in the face, hit me with the shotgun in my abdomen and slashed my hand with a knife. What the fuck do you think?"

"Is that all? I thought I did more." Shawn said. "You would love to kill me, wouldn't you? Especially with how mean I was to your stupid adopted kid."

"Why don't you give me a gun and we'll find out."

"I'm not gonna do that. But I can at least be nice and allow you to sit in this chair." Shawn stated. He moves from the chair and puts the gun away. "Being in an upright position may help your abdominal pain." He added. "Come… Sit."

Jamie cautiously gets herself up and sits in the chair. With sitting upright in the chair, Jamie's abdomen still hurts, but feels slightly better. Shawn now places the gun, the 9MM Beretta at the end of the table, opposite of where Jamie is seated. Her eyes move to look at the gun as Shawn moves away.

"You wanna take it, don't you? Go ahead… It's there." Shawn said. Jamie looks to the side and turns her body away from the table. "You're no fun." He said. "I'll leave it on the table in case you change your mind."

Shawn walks away from the area and back to the table where Wade and Jose are.

"It's not a smart idea leaving the gun on the table like that." Jose stated.

"I'm not too fond of feisty people. I want her to try." Shawn said. "It'll give me a reason to kill her." He smiles evilly. "Besides, you know how observant I am during bank robberies. I can notice the slightest change in a person's movement. By the time she touches the gun, she'll already have a knife in her."

Petty Officer Wade Benson looks at Jamie in concern. He really hopes Jamie doesn't try anything because his brother Shawn is looking for a reason to kill her.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

With the infiltration plan in motion, Tactical and snipers are set, prepared and know their part in all of this. Abby, McGee and Agent Malone are still trying to keep the security feed online. A little while ago, Gibbs sent a text message to Petty Officer Wade Benson, to let him know what the plan is.

Inside of the small, very tight tunnel, Ziva is completely in the dark as she continues maneuvering upward. She's close to reaching the top, but still needs a bit more time to get there. While in the tunnel, she suddenly hears the sound of footsteps coming from above. She stops and stays still inside of the tunnel. Ziva hears a slightly loud noise. It sounded as if a wheel rolled over the trapdoor. With her hand, she tries reaching for her gun as she hears something that sounds like a lock is being unlocked. The gun is still lying across her mouth and it's too tight for her hand to maneuver enough to be able to reach it. The trapdoor is opened slightly.

Ziva keeps trying to reach for her gun, but is unable to. Finally, the trapdoor is fully opened. With being in the darkness for so long, the light causes her to squint in an effort to re-adjust her eyes to the change in light. The light from a small flashlight is shone down the tunnel. Ziva closes her eyes as the light is too much for her. The light is now shone away from Ziva's eyes. She opens her eyes and is now able to view the person with the flashlight.

Petty Officer Wade Benson closes the trapdoor slightly. While the flashlight is still on, he places it between the floor and the trapdoor in order to give Ziva light. The head of the flashlight is the only piece sticking slightly inside of the trapdoor, so when it's lifted up, the flashlight won't fall into Ziva's face. He then moves the small table, the one with the wheels, back on top of the trapdoor in order to cover it from possibly being seen. Ziva now has the light from the flashlight while it's keeping the trapdoor open enough to give her a source of air as well. Ziva continues wiggling and squirming her way to the top of the small, tight tunnel. But at least now, she has a source of light and an extra source of air. Petty Officer Wade Benson leaves the room after covering the trapdoor with the small wheeled table that Ziva can eventually push to the side.

As Ziva continues maneuvering through the tunnel, Tony is in the back of the mobile command center with Chioke. Tony is sitting at the end of the couch-type sitting area that surrounds the table in the middle. Chioke is sleeping next to where Tony is seated. Tony is gently stroking Chioke's head. As Tony watches Chioke sleep, a smile stretches across his face. After a minute, Tony leans downward.

"I'm gonna be everything you need of me." Tony whispered in Chioke's ear. "I promise." Then he gently kisses Chioke on the head and leans back into an upright position.

Tony finally stands up and walks away. As he walks toward the door of the mobile command center, Fornell is on the phone with Shawn Benson once again. Tony steps out the door as Fornell continues speaking with Shawn.

"Let me guess, Shawn… You've been trying to get a hold of your employers, but are unable to reach them." Fornell stated. "They left you high n dry on this one, Shawn. They don't care about what happens to you. They've been using you this entire time."

"And you care about me, right?" Shawn asked in a sarcastic tone of voice.

"Your employers are terrorists who are collecting funding for some big plan of theirs. If you can give me any information that leads to their location, then I'll definitely work out a deal for you. But you need to turn yourself in."

"Fuck your deals!"

"You haven't killed anybody, Shawn." Fornell stated. "Whatever the terrorists are planning is much bigger then what you've been up to lately. In the greater scheme of things, any information you can give me about them, will drastically reduce your sentence."

"How long?"

"I can probably get you a good deal. You'll be out of prison in two to three years, tops." Fornell said. "It's not very long when you think about it."

"I got a better deal… I give you any information I know, and I go free."

"You know I can't do that."

"Then we have no deal."

"Just listen…"

"No! You listen, Agent Fornell!" Shawn exclaimed. "I'm in here with the hostages and to them, I'm God. Their lives… Life and death… Is in my hands. I get to choose if they live or die…" He continues.

As Shawn continues speaking with Fornell, Jamie remains seated on the chair close to the table in the middle of the bank. Her attention is occasionally drawn to the 9MM Beretta as it just lies there at the other end of the table. But she manages to with-hold the urge to reach for it and just looks away.

Ever since Shawn Benson left the gun on the table close to Jamie, Jose has been watching her like a hawk. As Shawn is busy talking on the phone to Fornell, Jose becomes slightly nervous as he thinks Shawn's attention to Jamie is drawn away.

Shawn takes his jacket off and tosses it to the side. He walks to the side table where the empty pizza box and all the other weapons are lying. He grabs a handgun, a 9MM Beretta since that's the only handguns they have.

"You seem to forgot, Fornell…" Shawn continues talking. "I'm the fucker in the bank with a load weapon!" He walks away from the table and stands near the top of the stairs.

Jose notices Jamie is looking at the 9MM Beretta at the end of the table from where she's seated.

"Screw this." Jose said has he's now fed up with the nervousness.

Jose grabs the shotgun from off the table. He begins walking toward the table where Jamie is seated and the 9MM Beretta remains lying there tempting her.

Petty Officer Wade Benson is standing on the other side of the bank, close to the partition desk that separates bank tellers from customers. He watches carefully as Jose walks over to the table where Jamie is.

As Jose approaches the table, he grabs the 9MM Beretta from off the end. He then holsters it inside of his jacket. He walks to the chair where Jamie is sitting. As Jose stands near her, giving her a dirty look, she notices how easy it would be to grab the 9MM Beretta from inside of his jacket. Jamie looks away, toward Shawn and notices his back is turned. She looks to the gun inside of Jose's jacket, then back at Shawn.

Jose hears a low screeching noise coming from the bank owner's/manager's office. His attention is drawn to the office as he looks away from Jamie. Suddenly, without thinking or hesitation, Jamie plunges up from the chair. Her right hand grabs the barrel of the shotgun and thrusts it upward into Jose's face, while her left hand reaches into his jacket in order to grab the 9MM Beretta from its holster.

From the outside of the bank, all that's heard is gun-fire. As a couple shots are fired inside of the bank, Tactical, along with Gibbs and Tony immediately make a rush to get inside.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

As Tactical, Gibbs and Tony rush inside of the bank, Shawn Benson falls to the floor at the top of the stairs. Shawn was shot two times; he has a bullet in his side and one in his shoulder. Once at the top of the stairs, everyone looks around to figure out what exactly happened.

Next to the table in the middle of the bank, Jose Sanchez is lying on the floor with Jamie standing over him. The end of the shotgun barrel is inside of Jose's mouth and Jamie's right foot on his chest to holding him down. She's slightly hunched over due to her abdominal pain. In Jamie's wounded left hand, she's holding the 9MM Beretta she took from the holster in Jose's jacket. She's pointing the 9MM Beretta in the direction of Shawn Benson. Jamie keeps pulling the trigger, but nothing is coming out because she fired every single shot already.

From the other side of the bank at the partition desk, Petty Officer Wade Benson is also pointing a 9MM Beretta in the direction of his older brother Shawn Benson. From the bank owner's/manager's office, Ziva is standing, also pointing her gun in the direction of Shawn Benson.

From the top of the stairs, Tactical rushes in to secure the bank.

Eight members of Tactical advance toward Petty Officer Wade Benson and Jamie. With guns drawn, five members advance toward Petty Officer Wade Benson and the other three advances toward Jamie.

"Put the weapon down!" One of the five men yelled at Petty Officer Wade Benson.

"Put down the weapons!" One of the three men yelled at Jamie.

As she's shaking, Jamie keeps pulling the trigger of the 9MM Beretta. Petty Officer Wade Benson slowly puts his gun on the floor as the Tactical members approach him.

"I won't ask you again, Miss." The man shouted. "Put the weapons down!"

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Gibbs yelled at the man. "Don't point your gun at my daughter!" He now stands between the man and Jamie. "I'll handle this."

Gibbs turns and walks to Jamie who is still pulling the trigger of the 9MM Beretta and still has Jose pinned to the floor with the end of the shotgun barrel in his mouth.

"Sweetie, it's me, Dad." Gibbs said as he gently places his hand on Jamie's left hand. He runs his hand along Jamie's hand. He slowly pulls the 9MM Beretta out of her wounded hand. He passes off the gun to a member of Tactical. Jamie turns slightly and as she falls into her father's arms, Gibbs takes hold of the shotgun.

The three members of Tactical advance toward Jose and immediately arrest him. Petty Officer Wade Benson is also on the floor being arrested. Near the top of the stairs, four members of Tactical have their guns pointing at Shawn Benson as he lies on the floor with two bullet wounds.

Gibbs and Jamie are sitting on the floor now. Jamie presses her head into her father's chest as Gibbs holds her tightly in his arms.

Tony, who is standing nearby, immediately looks over to Shawn Benson. As Gibbs is comforting Jamie, Tony angrily walks over to Shawn. Once at the top of the stairs where Shawn is lying, he leans down a bit. With knowing Shawn was mean to Chioke and called him stupid, Tony attacks him.

"My son isn't stupid you cockeyed fuck!" Tony exclaimed as he keeps punching Shawn in the face.

Two of the Tactical members grab Tony. They take him off and hold him back. In addition to his two bullet wounds, Shawn Benson now has a bloody mouth and nose.

Other members of Tactical begin taking the hostages out of the bank while the rest make sure the bank is secure and locate all plastic explosives that are alarmed at the vents.

Back near the table in the middle of the bank, Gibbs is still holding Jamie in his arms. He finally leans back a bit to look her in the eyes.

"I couldn't see him." Jamie cried. "I knew what direction he was in, but I couldn't see him at all cuz I had to keep my right eye watching the guy on the floor here."

"How could you do something so foolish?" Gibbs said. "You know the vision of your left eye is bad. You know everything is just a blur to your left eye if the object is more then five feet away." He stated. "You could've been killed."

"I know. I'm sorry. I need to get to the hospital. I'm just so worried about my baby. My abdomen hurts so much." Jamie cried. "With knowing his exact position before I made the move, I thought if I kept pulling the trigger, that I'd hit him. I know it was foolish…" She cried. "I'm sorry."

"An ambulance is on the way."

Gibbs kisses Jamie on the forehead and draws her back into his arms. Tony finally walks back over and kneels down next to Jamie and begins caressing her back. Ziva walks over to her team members.

Jose is escorted away from the area. Two members of Tactical lift Petty Officer Wade Benson from off the floor. He's in handcuffs and they begin to walk him away. The two members of Tactical are escorting him right passed Gibbs and Jamie. Gibbs looks up at Petty Officer Wade Benson

"She missed every single shot." Petty Officer Wade Benson stated as he's escorted passed the NCIS team.

Gibbs then looks toward Ziva.

"Thank you." Gibbs said.

"For what? By the time I opened the door to get out of the office, Shawn was already falling to the floor." Ziva said.

After Ziva's comment, Gibbs looks behind him at Petty Officer Wade Benson as he's being escorted to the top of the stairs to be taken into FBI custody. Gibbs now knows what exactly happened inside of the bank. To save Jamie, Petty Officer Wade Benson shot his own brother.

As a minutes passes, a couple ambulances arrive to treat the injured. Two EMT's run over to Jamie. Jamie is helped onto the stretcher and is taken out of the bank to be rushed to the hospital. While lying on the stretcher, Jamie is slightly curled up with her left arm holding her abdomen. Her right hand is holding Tony's hand as he's walking along-side of the stretcher as she's being escorted to the ambulance. As they go passed the mobile command center, Chioke takes hold of Tony's shirt and now clings to him as they continue walking.

Once at the ambulance, Jamie's stretcher, with her on top of it, is placed inside. The EMT's go inside to proper secure the stretcher. On the outside of the ambulance, Gibbs, along with Tony and Chioke are standing there looking at Jamie. Once the stretcher is secured inside of the ambulance, both Gibbs and Tony try to get inside. One of the EMT's stops them.

"Woo… Guys… We only have room for one more." The EMT stated. "Either you…" He points to Gibbs. "Or you and the kid." He now points to Tony and Chioke.

"You go." Gibbs said as he looks at Tony. "I'll meet you there."

Tony and Chioke step inside of the ambulance. Tony immediately sits next to Jamie. Chioke sits in Tony lap. Tony wraps one arm around Chioke and the other he extends toward Jamie. Tony gently takes hold of Jamie's right hand. Chioke reaches his hands out and also takes hold of Jamie's right hand. The ambulance door closes and drives off. As Gibbs watches the ambulance drive away, Fornell approaches him.

"Hopefully one of these guys is able to give us Intel that will lead us to the terrorists." Fornell stated. "I talked briefly with Petty Officer Wade Benson… For now, it appears he'll cooperate with also giving us Intel on the gang he's affiliated with. We're gonna place him into witness protection." He continued. He then notices that Gibbs just remains staring at the ambulance. "You're not needed here anymore, Jethro." He said. "Jamie needs you at the hospital. You should go."

Gibbs walks away to get to the car. He drives off to catch up to the ambulance. Gibbs follows the ambulance all the way to the hospital.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

At the hospital, Jamie lies on the hospital bed while slightly curled up and holding her abdomen. Gibbs is standing next to the bed, Chioke is sitting at the end of the bed and Tony is sitting on the bed, right next to Jamie. Tony is holding Jamie's hand and gently stroking the hair on her head. A doctor enters into the room. Everybody's attention is immediate drawn to him.

"At the moment…" The doctor begins to say as he looks at Jamie's chart. "Everything appears to be normal. You may have some swelling and a large bruise, but things do appear normal."

"So what's the, but?" Gibbs asked as he read the man's body language.

"The but is… We won't know with any certainty that the baby is ok, until we do an Ultrasound."

"Then get that Ultrasound thingie up here and let's go." Tony tries to rush things along.

"We're taking Jamie down for an Ultrasound in a little while."

"Why a little while?!" Tony exclaimed. "Why not right now?!"

"We have to wait until an Ultrasound is available since they're all in use at the moment."

"Make one available!"

"Tony…" Gibbs tries to get his attention. Tony looks to Gibbs who is right next to him. "Calm down."

"I won't calm down! I wanna know that my baby…" Tony begins to say as Jamie places her finger over his mouth to keep him quiet.

"You're upsetting me." Jamie said. "Please calm down."

"I'm sorry." Tony said as he looks into his wife's eyes.

"Apologizing is a sign of weakness." Jamie said jokingly as she giggles. She then feels a sharp pain in her abdomen. The heart monitor shows an increase in her heart-rate. She curls her body more as she holds her abdomen with left hand. "Ow!" Her facial expression is that of anguish.

"Doc, do something!" Tony exclaimed. He then takes holds of Jamie's right hand and wishes he knew what to do to make her feel better. Jamie squeezes his hand tightly.

"She's been occasionally feeling sharp pain from time to time, after the violent blow she received." The doctor said. "It'll pass."

"So that's it?!"

"Like I said… Until an Ultrasound is available, all any of us can do, is wait." The doctor said.

Finally, the sharp pain subsides. Jamie's heart-rate decreases back to a normal pace and she slowly loosens her hand, which Tony feels.

"Doc… That was the sharpest pain I felt all day." Jamie stated.

"Compared to the other times, how would you…" The doctor begins to say.

"It was definitely 10 times worse."

"I'll go check to see if we can possibly have access to an Ultrasound sooner."

The doctor leaves the room. Jamie looks to her father.

"Can you please massage my back?" Jamie asked of Gibbs.

"Sure." Gibbs answered as he walks in order to get on the other side of the bed.

"You're gonna milk this for all it's worth, aren't you?" Tony joked.

"Well, duh." Jamie said as she giggles. "So why don't you be a good lil husband and make yourself useful by rubbing my feet." She grins.

"Ok, now you're pushing it." Tony laughed.

Chioke notices Tony isn't moving toward his end of the bed, so he begins lifting the blanket at bottom of the hospital bed, near Jamie's feet. Jamie and Tony wonder what he's doing.

"Chioke…" Jamie tries to get his attention. He looks to her. "What are you doing, sweetie?"

'I rub feet. Help feel good.' Chioke signed.

"You don't have to rub my feet." Jamie said. "I was only joking about that."

'I want help you feel good.' Chioke signed with a sad facial expression because he wants to be useful.

"You know what would make me feel a lot whole better."

'What?'

"If you come up here and lay next to me."

As Jamie lifts her left arm away from her abdomen, Chioke, with a smile, crawls up the bed toward Jamie and lies down next to her. Once Chioke is lying down, he scoots closer to her. Jamie wraps her left arm around him, leans her head forward and kisses him on the back of the head. Jamie cuddles Chioke to help him feel useful.

Gibbs is now massaging Jamie's back and Tony just smiles as he continues holding Jamie's right hand.

After a couple minutes, Jamie tugs on Tony's hand.

"What's wrong?! Are you hurting? Are you feeling a sharp pain again? Do you need me to get the doctor?" Tony worried. Jamie pulls him closer. Tony leans in more.

"I need to use the bathroom." Jamie said.

"Oh…"

Chioke moves to make it easier for Tony to help Jamie. Tony helps Jamie to sit in an upright position. He helps her off of the bed. Jamie is slightly hunched over as her abdomen still obviously hurts. Tony wraps his arms around Jamie to help hold her. With Jamie leaning on him, Tony helps her to the bathroom.

Once inside of the bathroom, Tony keeps one arm wrapped around Jamie and uses the other arm to close the door. He walks Jamie to the sink, which is right next to the toilet. Jamie places her hands on the sink while hunched over. From the back, Tony begins untying the hospital gown.

"I never thought in my entire life that I'd be helping a girl go to the bathroom." Tony stated. "This reminds me of the movie…"

"Please don't start." Jamie laughed.

Tony helps Jamie to sit on the toilet. He then notices a couple drops of blood on the floor where Jamie was previously standing by the sink.

"Check if you're bleeding." Tony said in concern.

Jamie lifts the hospital gown in order to check. Both Jamie and Tony see blood slowly dripping.

"I'm getting a nurse." Tony said as he pulls the bathroom cord to signal a nurse to come in to help.

A couple seconds later, a nurse runs into the room. She goes immediately to the bathroom.

"She just started bleeding." Tony stated. "I think it started almost a minute ago."

"Help me get her to the bed." The nurse said.

Tony and the nurse help Jamie out of the bathroom and onto the hospital bed. The doctor walks into the room.

"We have an Ultrasound ready." The doctor said. "We need to get her down there, now."

The nurse removes the brakes from the bed wheels. Tony lifts Chioke off of the bed. The nurse begins to move the bed in order to get it out of the room. The doctor follows as the nurse pushes the bed out of the room.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

After finally getting back home from being at the hospital for a couple hours, Jamie sadly walks to the bedroom and collapses on the bed. She curls up and begins crying. As Chioke walks to his bed in the family room to put his broken Curious George stuffed animal down, Tony closes the apartment door and locks it. After locking the door, Tony walks to the bedroom where Jamie is already lying in bed. Tony walks into the room and sits on the bed next to her. He places his hand on Jamie's hip and leans over her as her back is facing him. Jamie wipes a couple tears from her eyes.

"I know what happened is unfortunate…" Tony begins to say.

"I wanna be alone right now." Jamie said as she wipes tears from her eyes. "Please… Just go away for a lil while."

"I…"

"Please, go." Jamie said in a sad tone of voice. "Take care of Chioke first. He's probably hungry."

"Alright…" Tony said as he rubs Jamie's hip. "I'll be back after I fed and put Chioke to bed."

Tony gets up and stands next to the bed. He looks down at Jamie who is just lying on the bed trying hard to hold her tears in. Tony wants to comfort her so badly, but he knows she's right about Chioke needing to be taken care of. Tony leaves the room.

Tony walks into the kitchen to find Chioke reaching for the cookie jar. When Chioke notices Tony is in the room, he stops and begins pointing to the cookie jar.

'I want.' Chioke signed.

"I'm hungry too." Tony said. "I'll make us something more nutritious then cookies."

Chioke walks to the kitchen table and pulls a chair out. He climbs onto the chair. As Tony is looking around the kitchen for something to cook, Chioke finally sits down in the chair. He watches Tony.

Tony opens the refrigerator. He takes out the bread, easy spread butter and a few slices of cheese. He places all the items on the kitchen counter close to the stove. He opens the silverware drawer, takes out a butter knife and pancake flipper. He opens a cabinet and takes out a frying pan. As Tony puts the frying pan on the stove, he feels Chioke tugging on his shirt. Tony looks down to him.

'I help?' Chioke signed.

"Of course you can help." Tony said as he lifts Chioke and sits him on the kitchen counter. "You can butter the bread." He said as he hands the butter knife to Chioke.

Tony opens the bread package and places four slices on the cutting-board next to Chioke. As Tony is doing something else, Chioke looks at the bread. Then he looks at the butter. Chioke scratches his head as he's unsure what to do and wonders how the butter gets on the bread with using a knife. Tony notices the confused expression on Chioke's face. Tony realizes he has no idea how to butter bread.

"I'll teach you how to butter bread." Tony lifts the lid off of the easy spread butter container. With his right hand, he gently takes hold of Chioke hands which are holding the butter knife. Together, they dip the knife into the butter container. After having enough butter on the knife, they begin to spread it on a slice of bread. Chioke has a huge smile on his face as he's happy to be helping.

Once all of the bread slices have butter on them, Tony then shows Chioke how to open the cheese wrapper. Tony places the first two slices of bread into the frying pan. He takes the first slice of cheese and places it on the bread that's sitting in the frying pan. Chioke watches.

"You can put the rest of the cheese on." Tony said.

With a smile on his face, Chioke begins to open the remaining cheese slice wrappers. He places the cheese unto the bread inside of the frying pan. After all of the cheese slices being placed onto the bread in the frying pan, Tony puts the top bread slice on each. Tony lifts Chioke and puts him on the floor. Tony turns the stove on. He then opens a cabinet and takes out two plates.

"Put these on the table." Tony said as he hands the plates to Chioke.

As Chioke places the plates on the table, Tony keeps an eye on the food. Chioke climbs onto the chair and sits down. He sits there watching Tony and waiting patiently for the food.

After a couple minutes, the food is done cooking. Tony turns the stove off. With his left hand, he takes hold of the frying pan handle. With his right hand, he takes holds of the pancake flipper. Tony walks to the table and puts a grilled cheese sandwich on Chioke's plate and also his own.

"That's hot." Tony stated. "Get yourself a cold drink first."

Chioke gets off of the chair and walks to the refrigerator. He grabs two drink boxes, closes the door and walks back to the table where Tony is finally sitting down in order to eat. Chioke also sits down. He pushes one drink box toward Tony. Both of them open their chocolate milk drink box then they begin eating.

After eating, Tony brings Chioke over to his bed. He lays Chioke on the bed, pulls the covers up and tucks him in. Tony sits next to the bed.

'Why Mommy cry?' Chioke signed.

"You're calling Jamie, Mommy?" Tony asked as he's surprised since this is the first time Chioke called her that, but at the same time he's happy about it.

'Not want me call Mommy and Daddy?'

"Of course I do." Tony said. "I want you to know that if you're not comfortable with calling us mommy and daddy, you don't have to. We love you no matter what you call us."

'I want call Mommy and Daddy.' Chioke signed. 'Jamie, new Mommy. You, new Daddy. I like be here.'

"I like you being here too." Tony said with a smile. "Anyway… Mommy isn't feeling good right now."

'Bad man hurt Mommy.'

"Yes he did."

'How baby?'

"Remember when we talked about you having a little brother or sister… Well…" Tony paused as he tries to not start crying.

'Mommy not have baby?'

"Yes… Mommy's not gonna have a baby. Mommy's not pregnant anymore."

There's a moment of silence.

"We should both get to sleep." Tony said. He stands up, leans down, kisses Chioke on the head, then turns the light off.

Tony walks to the bedroom. He enters the room. Finally, he gets into the bed. Jamie immediately rolls over to face Tony. Jamie is still crying slightly. Tony scoots closer to Jamie and wraps his arms around her. Tony holds Jamie in his arms as she cries herself to sleep.

Later that night, Chioke is in bed having his nightmare once again. He's tossing and turning. His heartbeat rapidly increases. His breathing becomes heavier. The Chioke begins to tremble.

In Chioke mind, he hears the sound of gun-fire. Then his mother yells; 'Run Chioke! Run!' He then hears the sound of his own voice cry; 'Mommy!' The dream continues a little longer. He finally hears the sound of one last gun-shot, then a splash of water.

For the first time, Chioke doesn't wake up. In Chioke's mind, the dream suddenly morphs into some type of delusion where Jamie yells; 'If you laid on the floor like you were told, then I would still be pregnant! I lost my baby cuz of you!'

Finally, Chioke wakes up crying. With thinking it's his fault that Jamie lost the baby, he decides to not go into the bedroom for Tony to comfort him as he usually does when he has bad dreams. Chioke wipes his tears away.

Chioke gets out of the bed and walks over to the couch. The 300 gallon fish tank is right next to the couch. He sits on the couch and leans over the side. He stares into the fish tank at his pet lobster, Simba. Chioke stays there looking into the fish tank until the sun rises.

**THE END**

This concludes the story "Imperfect Heist". Coming soon will be the next story in this series. But until then, I hope you enjoyed this story.


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